Coffee and wine
by Skovko
Summary: Oceanna tries her luck on Tinder and ends on a date with Roman who seems like the perfect date. She learns soon enough he's been lying and that he's done this to other women before her too. Anger, drunkenness and Tinder can be a dangerous mix but it can also be the right mix.
1. First date

Oceanna bit her lip at the sight of Roman walking into the coffee shop. He looked exactly like the photos on his Tinder profile. If his personality matched his looks, she had scored big time. Tall, long hair, beautiful eyes, a killer smile, sexy and, most importantly, childfree like her.

"Oceanna," Roman smiled and sat down. "Wow, you are even more beautiful in real life."

The green eyed brunette blushed. He was the beautiful one. She was sure he knew exactly how beautiful he was.

"Thank you," she smiled back. "And you are just... Hot damn!"

He laughed at her outburst. The ice had been broken.

"What is your poison?" He asked.  
"Cappuccino," she answered.  
"Sounds good. I'll get us one each," he said.

She watched his ass as he walked up to the counter and bought coffee for them both. He was really attractive. It was a good thing they were out in public. She wasn't sure she would have been able to control herself if they had met in private. He came back shortly after with two cappuccinos.

"Here you go," he handed her one of them.  
"Thank you," she said.  
"So we finally meet," he said.  
"It hasn't been that long. We've only talked for a week," she said.  
"It seemed like a long time for me. I knew I wanted to meet you within five minutes of us talking," he said.

He knew how to use his words. It had been a while since she had met someone like him that seemed to be the full package. It had to be too good to be true.

"So what finally convinced you to meet me?" He asked.  
"We talked about our future plans and you seemed to be on the same page as me. I just want a quiet life with a good man, my work and maybe some adopted pets," she said.  
"But no kids," he chuckled.  
"Definitely no kids," she chuckled back.

She took a sip of her coffee and smiled at him again.

"It's so tiring to meet men online that think you're gonna change your mind for the right person. It doesn't work that way. It's some weird myth that people with children have created. You weren't like that," she said.  
"Why would I be?" He asked.  
"Exactly," she grinned. "You're fucking perfect."  
"No one's perfect," he smirked. "But I'll take it for now."

They kept talking while slowly emptying their cappuccinos. Everything seemed easy around him. An hour later and she looked at the two empty cups in front of them.

"Another one?" She asked.  
"You're not tired of me yet?" He asked.  
"Nope, and I'm buying this time," she answered.  
"You're a keeper," he chuckled.  
"Let's see if you'll say that after a second date," she said. "That is if you want one, of course."  
"Oh, I definitely want one," he smirked. "Dinner next time."


	2. Second date

Oceanna pulled the front of her hair back and secured it with a hairclip. She had curled her hair in big, soft curls. They were hanging freely down her back. Just the front of the hair pulled back so she wouldn't accidently dip in on the plate.

They weren't going to a fancy restaurant but she still wanted to look good for him. She had on a knee long, silver dress with a low cut. It wasn't like her to flash her goods but she figured it wouldn't hurt. She put on a pair of long, black boots, put on her black jacket and got out in her car.

She was nervous when she exited the car. Roman had texted her on the way there that he had already arrived. She walked inside the restaurant and spotted him immediately. He was one big smile when he saw her, and damn good looking in those black pants combined with a royal blue dress shirt. She walked over to him and sat down.

"You look amazing," he said.  
"So do you," she said.  
"Have you ever been here before?" He asked.  
"No, I haven't," she answered.  
"Their seafood is great if you're into that," he said.

She picked up the menu and studied it. A waiter soon came over to take their order.

"Wine?" Roman looked at her.  
"I'm driving so a lemon soda for me," she said.  
"I'll have that too," he said. "And your sesame tuna."  
"I'll have the exotic chicken," she said.

The waiter wrote down their order and took off towards the kitchen. Roman looked at her with a little smile.

"No seafood for you?" He asked.  
"I don't eat seafood," she answered.  
"You don't like it?" He asked.  
"No, I like it just fine," she answered. "But we're emptying the seas faster than we should. The animals are suffering. You ordered tuna. They're a dying breed, especially the bluefin tuna. Even though it's illegal to fish for the young ones, they still do it because the adults are rare, and the fishermen don't care. They just wanna make money like the rest of us."  
"Damn, now I feel bad," he said.  
"You didn't know," she smiled. "Besides, it's not up to me to tell you what or what not to eat. That is just why I don't eat seafood. I'm not gonna judge you for your choices."  
"Today you're the perfect one," he chuckled.

Their food was served soon enough, and they continued talking through the meal. He still seemed easy to be around.

"So," he ran his tongue over his teeth. "Are you up for a third date?"  
"Why do you got such a nasty look on your face all of the sudden?" She chuckled.  
"You know what they say about the third date," he winked.  
"And you're not getting lucky now," she shook her head and smiled. "Sure, third date."  
"Are you free Friday?" He asked.  
"I am," she answered.  
"Come to my place," he said. "A friend of mine is having a birthday party. He lives close to me. We can go there together."


	3. Setup

Oceanna walked up the stairs to the second floor. She stopped in front of the door and read Roman's name on the sign. She dried her hands on her light blue jeans and pulled her pink and black striped t-shirt down a bit. She was dressed down. He had said his friend's birthday party was a casual thing. She was still nervous though as she raised her hand and knocked on the door. He opened ten seconds later.

"Hi, cutie," he smiled at her. "Come on in."

Something felt off the second she stepped into his apartment. There were two sets of children's footwear on the floor. The sound of a kid laughing hit her. She looked at Roman confused.

"Sorry, my boys," he said.  
"Your boys?" She asked.  
"Come meet them," he said.

He took her hand and dragged her into the living room. On the floor were two twin boys playing with lego.

"You told me you didn't have kids," she said.  
"I didn't want you to meet them just yet but their mother couldn't have them tonight," he said.  
"You said you didn't _want _kids," she said.

She felt betrayed. He had lied to her. She had been nothing but honest to him. This was a dealbreaker for her. She never wanted kids. Not her own, not someone else's.

"Don't you like me?" He asked.  
"That doesn't matter," she said.  
"Sure it does. I know you're falling for me like I'm falling for you. Once you fall in love with me, you'll love my kids too," he said.  
"It doesn't work that way," she said.

She couldn't believe he was just like so many others buying into that stupid myth. And not just like them, he was worse. He had lied about having children.

"So I can't really not show up at my friend's party. I'll be quick though. I'll be back in a few hours. There's a pancake batter ready in the fridge so you can make dinner for them," he said.

Her jaw dropped. He was actually expecting her to be a free babysitter for his kids while he went to a party.

"You planned this," she said. "You've done this before, haven't you?"  
"Let's not argue about this. It's just for a few hours. We'll talk about it when I get back," he said.  
"No!" She raised her voice. "Screw you, Roman! Other women before me might have fallen into your trap but I refuse. I am not babysitting your kids."  
"Yes, you are!" He sounded annoyed. "Because I'm leaving right now and they're now your responsibility."

He grabbed his jacket and hurried out of the apartment. She was stunned for a second and then ran to the front door and tore it open. She could hear him hurry down the stairs.

"Roman!" She yelled. "I'm leaving no matter what. If you don't get back up here right now, I will call the police to let them know two little boys have been left by their father."

His footsteps stopped and there was silence for a few seconds. Then he started walking up again. He looked anything but pleased when he reached her.

"Why can't you be a fucking woman for once?" He growled.

Any warm feelings left for him died in that second. Most of it had already died inside his apartment but whatever little might have been left was now completely gone.

"Your spawn, your problem," she said.

She walked down the stairs without ever looking back at him. She had enough. She drove home and went to her fridge. She was angry. She pulled out a bottle of rosé wine and started drinking from the bottle. Halfway through she grabbed her phone. She was gonna delete Tinder. Something stopped her though. Instead she opened it and saw she had a message from a guy she had matched with a few weeks ago. None of them had actually written each other until now.

_"Sorry, I'm new to this game. I didn't know if I was supposed to message you first or not, or if you're actually not interested. Here goes nothing. Hi, I'm Drew. I'm single. I read your profile and I like what I read. I'm childfree too. Care to talk?"_

She took another swig of the bottle before typing an answer in her half drunk state.

_"I just came back from what was supposed to be a date but ended up being a setup from hell. He lied about having kids and expected me to actually fucking babysit them tonight while he went partying. So cut the bullshit with me. If you secretly want kids, go bother someone else."_

His answer came shortly after.

_"Damn, that's cruel. I don't play around like that. What you see is what you get. I'm spending my Friday evening alone with a bottle of red wine. I'll be happy to share if you wanna come by and talk about it."_

She should say no. It could be dangerous. She was already tipsy and hadn't even met this man. She had a rule about always meeting in a public place the first time. She just didn't care this evening.

_"Text me your address. I'm bringing my own bottle though."_

It turned out he only lived a short ten minute walk from her. With her bottle of rosé wine in her hand, she walked there. The bottle was empty once she reached his house. She knocked on the door and shortly after a tall, long haired man opened.

"Hi," he smiled.  
"Nothing makes me go more dry than Sahara than a man who wants kids," she said.

He let out a loud laugh at that.

"Well then, I should have you flowing like the Atlantic sea then," he fired back.

He stepped aside and she walked into his house. She placed the empty bottle of wine on a small table he had in the hall, and turned around to look at him.

"I forgot to ask your name," he said.  
"Oceanna," she answered. "I normally don't do this but..."  
"But what?" He asked.

All common sense went out of her head. It might be the wine talking, or her bad experience with Roman earlier, or the fact that this Drew guy was damn hot. Maybe a mix of all three. She threw herself at him and kissed him.


	4. Coffee in the morning

Oceanna opened her eyes and stared out in an unknown bedroom. She turned her head and looked at the longhaired man next to her. Drew something. She wasn't sure she ever got his last name. It was so unlike her to behave like this.

She blinked a few times, lifted the covers and looked down herself. She was only wearing panties. She was in a bed with a strange man only in her panties. She tumbled out of bed and grabbed her clothes from the floor.

"Morning," he said sleepily.

She turned around while covering herself with her pink and black striped t-shirt.

"Oh god," she mumbled.  
"Relax, we didn't have sex," he said.

It was like he could read her mind. She wasn't sure whether or not to believe him. She knew she had thrown herself at him and kissed him. She just couldn't remember ever getting into the bedroom with him.

"If we did, I wouldn't have allowed you to put your panties back on," he smirked.

He got out of bed and she forgot to breathe for a second as he stood there only in his briefs. He was sex on legs to look at.

"You're awfully quiet," he said.  
"If we didn't have sex, why am I half naked in your bed?" She asked.  
"We kissed and fooled around a bit. I actually had to stop you because you were all over me," he said.

She looked down ashamed. He chuckled at the sight, walked over to her and tipped her head back up with two fingers under her chin.

"I didn't want to stop you but I had to. You were drunk. Had you been sober, I guarantee you had woken up completely naked," he said.

He leaned down and gave her a soft kiss.

"Coffee?" He asked.  
"Maybe next time," she said.  
"Is there gonna be a next time?" He asked.  
"I don't know," she answered honestly.

He walked over to his closet and pulled out a pair of dark grey jeans and a black t-shirt.

"I'm home again tonight if you don't got any plans. I'm gonna make my vegetarian chili if you're interested. Dinner at six. Or you can ghost me if you don't ever wanna see you again. I won't harass you about it," he said. "Either way, I'm gonna hit the shower now. I really hope I'll see you tonight. If I don't, I'm glad I got to meet you. You seem like an amazing woman. Good luck in your future and all that. Don't let that guy from yesterday ruin dating for you. You'll find someone who wants the same in life as you. I know I do."

He kept standing there for two seconds, just looking at her as if he wanted the mental image to last in case he never saw her again. Then he let out a little sigh and left the bedroom. She quickly got dressed and left his house.

She went all day thinking about the pros and cons about going back to his house. She felt like a slut for having thrown herself at Drew after going to Roman's house first, but nothing had happened between her and Roman on the first two dates.

"What have you got to lose?" She mumbled to herself.

She looked in the mirror. Her hair was in a messy bun. She wore a pair of worn out, light blue jeans and an old Meat Loaf band t-shirt. Drew had seen her at a low point last night and still he wanted more. She didn't need to dress up for him. He wanted her like she was. Before she lost her courage, she hurried out of her home and walked to his house. It was ten minutes to six when she knocked on his door. He opened with a huge smile on his face.

"You came," he said.  
"Does the offer for coffee still stand?" She said.  
"That's usually in the morning," he said.  
"Does it still stand?" She asked again.  
"Oh!" He started grinnning. "You wanna stay the night again."  
"No wine this time," she smirked.  
"No Sahara going on downstairs," he smirked back.  
"You made a promise," she said. "Better follow through."


	5. Real men

"I'm just happy Drew finally found someone," Sheamus said. "Especially someone as cool as you."  
"I'm happy I found him too," Oceanna said.

It was three weeks into them dating and she was meeting Drew's best friend Sheamus for the first time. They had been hanging out at a bar for a few hours, and Oceanna and Sheamus were getting along great.

"I told you, Drew," Sheamus looked at his best friend. "Didn't I tell you that you'd meet someone on the same page as you?"  
"You did," Drew chuckled at his friend.  
"You see," Sheamus looked at Oceanna. "Some asshole told Drew that all women want children. I told him not to listen to that bullshit and that there are woman out there like you. He just had to find you."  
"He found me," Oceanna grinned.  
"I sure did," Drew said.

Drew put an arm around Oceanna's shoulders and pulled her close to kiss the top of her head. Sheamus grinned and emptied his beer.

"We need more beer," Sheamus said.  
"My turn to buy," Oceanna said.  
"I like you more and more," Sheamus said.

Oceanna got up from her chair and walked to the counter. Just as she placed an order for two beers and a grasshopper, she saw someone she recognized come in through the door. Roman came walking in with a woman with blonde hair with pink dyed ends. He smirked across the room at Oceanna while escorting the blonde to a free table. He hung his jacket over the back of a chair and then walked up to stand next to Oceanna at the counter.

"Long time, no see," he said.  
"Not long enough," she said.  
"That's Alexa in case you're wondering," he said.  
"I wasn't," she said.

The bartender finally finished making her drink and placed it in front of her along with the two beers.

"Thank you," she said.  
"Who are here with you?" Roman asked.  
"None of your business," she answered.  
"Let me guess. Some poor Tinder guy that you're gonna go and make out with now to make me jealous," he laughed lowly. "You could have had me."  
"Not interested," she smirked. "I found a real man who doesn't lie."

She grabbed the drinks and walked back to Drew and Sheamus.

"Who was the guy you were talking to?" Drew asked.  
"Roman," Oceanna answered.  
"That's Roman?" Drew looked surprised. "Do you want me to go roll my muscles or something?"  
"Do you wanna pee in front of our table too to mark your territory?" Oceanna laughed. "Relax, I told him off. I told him I found a real man."  
"You did," Drew grinned.  
"Anyone care to fill me in?" Sheamus asked confused.  
"Drew can do that while I go to the bathroom to check up on miss blondie," Oceanna said.

Drew turned his head to see the blonde woman at Roman's table was gone.

"Play nice," Drew said.  
"I'm just gonna make sure he doesn't try to trap her too," Oceanna said.

She walked out in the bathroom and waited for the blonde woman, Alexa, to finish. Shortly after Alexa came out of the stall.

"Alexa, right?" Oceanna asked.  
"Who are you?" Alexa asked.  
"One of Roman's failed Tinder dates," Oceanna answered.  
"I met him there too," Alexa smiled. "This is our second date."

Alexa seemed sweet enough. She didn't seem worried about a failed Tinder date of Roman's standing there.

"Do you want kids?" Oceanna asked.  
"What's it to you?" Alexa asked.  
"Nothing really. Just wondering if Roman's been honest with you," Oceanna said.  
"I don't know honestly. I'm a fencesitter," Alexa said. "Roman understands. He says we have all the time in the world to figure out if we want them or not in case we become serious."  
"So he hasn't told you," Oceanna sighed.

Alexa looked confused. Oceanna didn't like being the one to ruin the other woman's date but she didn't want Alexa to be in the same position she had been in.

"On our third date he invited me to a friend's birthday," Oceanna said.  
"We're going to one too next Saturday," Alexa said.  
"Only it was a setup to babysit his kids so he could go party," Oceanna said.  
"He doesn't have kids," Alexa said.  
"Twin boys," Oceanna said. "Go ask him."  
"I don't believe you," Alexa said.  
"That's okay. I probably wouldn't have believed me either if I was you. At least I tried. Have a nice evening," Oceanna said.

Oceanna walked back out in the bar and joined Drew and Sheamus at the table again.

"So?" Drew asked.  
"She didn't believe me," Oceanna said.  
"You tried," Drew leaned in and kissed her. "You have a good heart. I love you."  
"Did you just say...?" Oceanna started.  
"I guess I did," Drew chuckled. "I love you."  
"I love you too," Oceanna smiled.  
"This is adorable. I got to experience the first time you said it," Sheamus laughed. "Do you by any chance have a single friend so we can double date?"

Oceanna started thinking about what friends she might have when an angry voice made everyone look in the direction of Roman's table.

"You got kids?" Alexa shouted.  
"Calm down. I was gonna tell you eventually," Roman said.  
"You didn't think that was important to let me know from the start?" Alexa was still shouted. "Fuck you, Roman!"

Alexa grabbed her purse but instead of storming out of the door, she went straight to their table and sat down next to Sheamus.

"Feel free to join us," Oceanna said.

Alexa reached over the table, grabbed Oceanna's drink and slammed it all down.

"And feel free to have my drink too," Oceanna chuckled.  
"Thanks. And sorry. I'll buy the next one," Alexa said.  
"It's okay," Oceanna said. "Are you alright?"  
"Yeah, he's just an asshole," Alexa said.  
"I second that," Oceanna said.

The two women look at each other and both of them started laughing. Drew and Sheamus started laughing too.

"I'm sorry," Alexa said. "Hi, I'm Alexa."  
"Oceanna," Oceanna said. "This here is my boyfriend Drew, and that is Sheamus."  
"I'm single," Sheamus blurted out.  
"Good to know," Alexa chuckled. "You are cute though."

Sheamus grinned proudly and took a sip of his beer.

"Does this count as a double date?" Oceanna looked at Sheamus.  
"I'll make it work," Sheamus winked.  
"Okay, I better replace your drink. What was it?" Alexa asked.  
"A grasshopper," Oceanna said.  
"Two grasshoppers and two beers coming right up," Alexa said.

Alexa went to the counter to buy drinks. Sheamus looked at her, tilting his head to take in the small woman.

"You already like her," Drew said.  
"I'm afraid I do," Sheamus said.  
"Just don't lie to her and she won't lie to you," Oceanna said.  
"Don't worry," Sheamus looked at Oceanna. "Just like Drew here, I know how to behave."  
"Another real man," Oceanna chuckled.

Oceanna looked at Drew. He was smiling at her. That warm smile she always loved to see. It might only be three weeks into their relationship but she had fallen hard for the man. She knew he had fallen just as hard for her.

"Somehow this evening just keeps getting better and better. And weirdly enough, all thanks to Roman. Because of him, I met you. And now because of him, we've met Alexa. We really should thank him," Oceanna said.  
"We'll send him a postcard from our honeymoon," Drew said.  
"Oh, you're planning on marrying me now?" Oceanna asked.  
"One day," Drew smirked.  
"I call dibs on being the best man," Sheamus said.  
"And maybe this Alexa woman will end up being the maid of honor," Drew said. "We never know what might happen."


End file.
